Strip Dwn Saddles

[T Moore Medicine Hat Saddlery]

Looking for a way to fill a customers order for an extremely lightweight saddle Has anyone made one of these Strip down ,skeleton or hope saddles that really got used. How did it hold up. Thinking of LaPorte tree Cable rig as light as possible anyone make one of these?

[mulefool]

I have built a number of saddles for customers who wanted extremely light saddles. I used a light weight Hermann Oak skirting. the skirts were pared down to maybe an inch around the tree but then on some I dropped the skirt down for an in skirt rigging. I have one I built in 1983 for a good friend. She still rides it. ALOT. In the summer she rides in the mountains probably at least 5 days a week. It's held up well, I haven't had to reline the skirts or replace stirrup leathers. I probably have another maybe 10 saddles of that type out there. I'm assuming they've held up since I still see the customers from time to time and haven't had them bring them in for work. As far as the LaPorte tree I have a friend riding one of those skeleton rigged and he ropes off it. Last I heard he liked it. I'm in the process of building a saddle right now on a LaPorte tree. My customer had tried one out and liked it. She rides alot as well so we'll be giving it a good trial.

[fjjensen]

I am pleased with the Laporte tree rig I have.Used 10 oz skirting

and it weighs just over 30 lbs.

Rode it for a while as a bare bones,with the right amount of

pad it worked well. Fenders are a must or leg pinch was a

S.O.B.

FJ

[Chi Stockyrd Saddle Tree]

On a strip down you can get the weight around 18 pounds while using a LST cable rig tree. I've got a couple of pictures if ever you want to see them.

[GrampaJoel]

When I was younger I had a McClellan style saddle I used for endurance riding.

It consisted of a McClellan style tree which was covered with what was described as moccasin leather.( 5-6 oz alum tan).

It had something called, no-crush springy foam for padding. And a sheep bark on the underside. It weighed with stirrups around 14lbs.

It held up well with hundreds of miles on it. and maybe five years on it, but I took very good care of it.

Last I heard several years back, it was still being used.

[jwwright]

I just finished up a lite weight saddle this week for a customer. I built it on a LaPorte Tree with the cable rigging. Swell fork, post horn, small round skirts, no flank cinch. I used 12 /14 oz HO skirting. It came in at 23 pounds ready to ride, including latiogs, cinch, stirrups, rope strap etc. The customer is a small lady that is a serious recreational rider, and does some recreational ranch roping as well. She is really pleased with this rig. I currently have a couple more orders for saddles on the La Porte trees.... for full time colt starters. I don't see the Laporte trees taking over the place of true handmade wood trees in my saddle business, but I do think they will become a significant part of the business. JW

[brycew74]

wanting to build my own skeleton can you guys post pics for me to look at for ideas

Thanks

[oldtimer]

I built a lightweight trail ride saddle on a Pony Express tree.

The skirts are minimized to 1/2" outside the bar edge, light weight unbound wooden stirrups, 2 1/2" stirrup leathers.

The saddle weighs 22 lbs. Here are some pics.

I´ve ridden this saddle on a week long trailride and it rides real good.

/ Knut

[Frank]

Here's mine. It does have skirts but they are very short.

Frank

[Aurelie]

Ok

i am quite interested in this post since here in France, Weight is a real aspect that you must take into account with customers

They want everything : quality, resitance and extra light weight (and the horse's health) ..not always easy to get all those parameters to work together.

Something said several times up there in the post striked me

Here what i ve been taught about skirts:

you want to get the edge of your skirts between 5" and 6" from the back cantle (no more , no less) if you want the best baring surface

too short = no baring

too long = some hurting to encounter at some point

so my question was : what about those extra short skirts on those extra light saddles??? is that ok?

[oldtimer]

Ok

i am quite interested in this post since here in France, Weight is a real aspect that you must take into account with customers

They want everything : quality, resitance and extra light weight (and the horse's health) ..not always easy to get all those parameters to work together.

Something said several times up there in the post striked me

Here what i ve been taught about skirts:

you want to get the edge of your skirts between 5" and 6" from the back cantle (no more , no less) if you want the best baring surface

too short = no baring

too long = some hurting to encounter at some point

so my question was : what about those extra short skirts on those extra light saddles??? is that ok?

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s the job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

What you need to ride, as a minimum, is a saddle tree, a rigging, a cinch, a seat, stirrup leathers and stirrups.

/ Knut

Edited December 15, 2011 by oldtimer

[Aurelie]

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s a job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

/ knut

:D

ok

so then another interrogation:

so what is the purpose of the skirts? if not participating into weight distribution?

[oldtimer]

:D

ok

so then another interrogation:

so what is the purpose of the skirts? if not participating into weight distribution?

You have something to sew the sheep skin to. ( also the skirts creates areas to decorate )

[Aurelie]

You have something to sew the sheep skin to. ( also the skirts creates areas to decorate )

LMAO!

yeah that a fair enough reason!

[oldtimer]

LMAO!

yeah that a fair enough reason!

Intersting reading: http://si-pddr.si.edu/jspui/handle/10088/2438

[Aurelie]

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s the job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

What you need to ride, as a minimum, is a saddle tree, a rigging, a cinch, a seat, stirrup leathers and stirrups.

/ Knut

Yeah, but McClellan (at least those from the US army - around the late 1800's) have not been the best fitted saddles for long rides (if i remember well what i ve been taught , that's was 1 reason why they stopped often enough on their long trips) regarding the horse 's morphology and health

and that's one of the reasons why they modified them

that's part of my wondering about the evolution of western saddles from the beginning to nowadays

why's , how's

and if oldtimer's saddles were used now...what could be the "negative" aspect to watch for

Intersting reading: http://si-pddr.si.ed...ndle/10088/2438

thx!

got it

going to read it now

[oldtimer]

and if oldtimer's saddles were used now...what could be the "negative" aspect to watch for

My thought on that question : The main, general difference between the old time saddles and the saddles of today is design , and I don´t see much differences in function more than the saddle trees of today in general are more well shaped to fit a horse´s back. Horses have changed a lot the last century so you can not use an old time saddle , say from 1880 on a modern, grain fed horse. The tree is too narrow.

My 2 cents.. / Knut

[Aurelie]

Horses have changed a lot the last century so you can not use an old time saddle , say from 1880 on a modern, grain fed horse. The tree is too narrow.

My 2 cents.. / Knut

that's for sure!